Analog to Digital (A/D) clipping is a major factor in limiting the effectiveness of many sensor systems. Most often the cause is the high dynamic range of signals and/or clutter in the uncontrolled environment. The most prevalent strategy for mitigating this problem is automatic gain control (AGC), which essentially adjusts the sensitivity of the sensor-A/D system. The problem with changing the sensitivity is that it can inadvertently cause other problems. For example, if the sensitivity is decreased, a weak signal can be missed if it occurs during the time of low sensitivity.
A need, therefore, exists for a way to mitigate A/D clipping that avoids changing the sensitivity by dynamically re-mapping the quantization levels of the A/D, keeping the sensitivity of the system constant